Following injuries to Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper, Marcelo Bielsa was forced to play Luke Ayling at centre-back while shifting Jamie Shackleton to right-back.

Having struggled with fitness over the last few weeks, Pontus Jansson has of yet only made one start for the club.

In his absence, Gaetano Berardi has started and actually been pretty solid in the heart of defence.

Jansson, however, is a fan favourite and was one of the club’s best players last season but could face a fight on his hands to get back into the team considering Berardi’s form so far this season.

Due to his superb performances. Jansson was subject to a bid close to £10 million according to the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist, Phil Hay.

The Breakdown

For a player valued at £5.4 million by Transfermarkt, a £10 million bid is reasonable but ultimately, Leeds were right to turn down the offer.

Although Berardi has played well so far this season, once fit, Jansson would surely be the club’s starting defender.

After his stuttering start to the season, Jansson could well be ready to feature for the side soon, although probably not in time for this weekend’s game.

Hay has reported that the Sweden international has returned to training and with a long, tough 46-game Championship schedule, it’s more than likely that he will come back into the first-team as there’s no way the starting XI will be able to stay injury free throughout the whole season.

With Bielsa rejecting the need for a new central defender, it seems Pontus Jansson still has a big role to play.

Leeds fans, are you desperate to see him return?

West Ham United should jump back into the market for Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles following reports from the Daily Mail of a training ground bust-up.

What’s the word?

Manuel Pellegrini made nine signings in the summer after being appointed the new West Ham manager.

Two of his new arrivals – Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop – were recruited to improve the defence.

However, three games in the Premier League season and the East London outfit are still having problems at the back.

Over in the North-East of England, there are rumblings of discontent surrounding one of Newcastle United’s key defenders.

Lascelles, who reportedly earns £15,000-a-week at St James’ Park, was left out of Rafael Benitez’s squad against Chelsea due to injury, but according to the Daily Mail, the 24-year-old has had an issue with the manager’s tactics.

It is also believed that the centre-back had a training-ground bust-up with teammate Matt Ritchie, who took an issue with Lascelles’ criticism of Benitez’s formation.

Why should this interest West Ham?

In July, Sky Sports reported that the East London outfit had failed with a £25m offer to sign Lascelles in the summer.

The defender is not only Newcastle’s club captain but one of their best players, so it is understandable that they rejected West Ham’s advances.

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If there is truth in the rumours of a bust-up then it could work in the Hammers’ favour come January.

Of course, a lot will depend on the situation at that time, but if Lascelles is unsettled then it could be the perfect time to swoop.

It is clear that West Ham still need a bit of work to improve the defence, and the Newcastle skipper could be the saviour.

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Liverpool were tipped as contenders for the Premier League title at the start of the season, and their four wins from four matches have maintained that prediction.

However, one of the biggest names in the game believes that Jurgen Klopp’s side will struggle to even make the top four of the Premier League.

While speaking to The Express, Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar decided to leave the Reds out while listing who will finish in the top echelons of England’s elite division.

The Brazil international, who has scored 32 goals for the French outfit, predicted that Manchester City will retain their title, with Manchester United finishing second, despite their poor start to the campaign.

Jose Mourinho’s side have lost two and won two since the 2018-19 season kicked off.

Neymar also told The Express that he expects Chelsea to secure third and Tottenham Hotspur to take the fourth spot, leaving Liverpool out altogether.

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His predictions are likely to make the Reds’ Champions League group-stage match against PSG at Anfield that much more interesting.

On Reddit, some fans hit back at Neymar, with a handful poking fun at the attacker’s diving antics.

Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..Comment from discussion Neymar has predicted Liverpool will NOT finish in the Premier League top four this season – ensuring a lively reception when he visits Anfield later this month..

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Carlos Tevez spent the 2006-07 campaign at West Ham United, scoring seven times in 29 appearances for the club and helping them survive in the Premier League.

It would be fair to say that it was a bit of a shock when Tevez arrived at West Ham, but the London club’s supporters immediately took to him.

Tevez only spent the one season at Upton Park, with Manchester United swooping to land the Argentina international on a two-year loan contract.

The forward then went on to represent Manchester City and Juventus before returning to Boca Juniors in 2015.

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Tevez also represented Shenhua Shenhua during the 2017-18 campaign before sealing a return to Boca, and he is still in the game with the Argentine outfit at the age of 34.

It has been a fairly eventful career for Tevez, but he is still fondly remembered by the West Ham fans during what was a quite incredible year at the club.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham fans can be seen below:

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Loads of Everton fans are heaping praise on Richarlison, after the big summer signing made his Brazil debut in the coveted number nine shirt.

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The outrage over the transfer fee for Richarlison was all rather bizarre, and the youngster’s form to kick off the season quickly quashed any doubts about his ability.

Although his red card at Bournemouth means he is still suspended from Premier League action, he made his international debut on Friday night, replacing Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino in a 2-0 win against the United States.

The new Goodison favourite only got 15 minutes on the pitch, and the tempo of the game had died down significantly, but fans are very proud of their feisty young star.

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Marco Silva seems to have a magic wand that makes the winger score goals, and fans will be hoping he can regain his form when he returns from suspension in the coming weeks.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Arsenal have endured a turbulent start to life under Unai Emery, losing their two opening fixtures before bouncing back to secure victories over West Ham and Cardiff City.

The Gunners invested significantly in the market to bring in the likes of Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira and Sokratis Papastathopoulos but have failed to fill the void left by Alexis Sanchez’s January move to Manchester United.

As such, Emery’s side have been linked with a number of candidates to fill that role in their side and long-term interest is held in Boca Juniors’ ace Christian Pavon, who represented Argentina at the World Cup in Russia.

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We asked fans whether Emery should make the 22-year-old his priority in January and the results were a landslide, as a whopping 83% of polled supporters stated they believed that the Gunners should go all-out for his signature.

Signing Pavon would prove to be expensive as reports earlier this summer stated the South American side have raised his release clause to around £37m, while the Gunners could also face a stern fight in the market for his services.

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Arsenal have finally managed to keep a clean sheet and the fans are happy it came against Everton on Sunday, with the Toffees having a lot of chances to find the back of the net.

After going five games into the Premier League season without keeping a clean sheet, it looked as if it could be seven with Everton bossing the first half at the Emirates.

Clear chances for Richarlison and former Arsenal player Theo Walcott were brilliantly kept out by keeper Petr Cech. The Gunners eventually managed to turn the tide in their favour when Alexandre Lacazette scored a brilliant goal in the second half before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made it 2-0 moments later, as Unai Emery’s men claimed their fourth straight win in the competition.

Arsenal fans were wondering if they’d see a clean sheet at all this season after new keeper Bernd Leno also let in two goals in the Europa League on Thursday evening, and they have expressed their relief on Twitter following the win over Everton.

Here are some of the reactions…

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Robert Huth remains a free-agent after leaving Leicester at the end of his contract in the summer, and he admitted on the weekend that he would love a move to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.

What’s the story?

As quoted by The Daily Star, Huth told Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday that a move to Leeds would be ‘perfect’ when asked by presenter Ben Shepherd about the possibility of joining Marcelo Bielsa’s high-pressing side.

Bielsa prefers to work with small squads, but the recent injuries to Kemar Roofe, Patrick Bamford, Gaetano Berardi and Pablo Hernandez have derailed the early momentum that the Elland Road outfit picked up at the start of the season and could mean the Argentine boss is forced to delve into the array of free-agents that are currently available.

The Whites were knocked off the top of the Championship table on the weekend by West Brom and fans of the club will be hoping that Bielsa ensures he has the squad to earn promotion, not just the starting XI.

An experienced head

At 34-years-old Huth would bring huge experience to the Whites as they search for promotion back to the Premier League after spending years in the Championship.

The 6ft 3in former Germany international has 19 caps for his country and is a three-time Premier League winner, twice during his time at Chelsea and then once in incredible circumstances with Leicester, where he departed at the end of last season.

Whilst Bielsa prefers a high-intensity game that may not completely fit with Huth’s style of play at this stage in his career, the centre-back would be a calm head in the dressing room and would be the perfect back-up if Leeds were to suffer any more injuries.

So, Leeds fans, would you like to see Bielsa sign Huth on a free transfer? Let us know by voting in the poll below.

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Unai Emery is pushing to sign Sevilla’s Ever Banega once again as he seeks a replacement for Aaron Ramsey, according to The Mirror.

What’s the word?

Major changes have taken place at Arsenal in recent months and there is no sign of things slowing down in North London, with Unai Emery understood to have made a bold call regarding the future of Aaron Ramsey.

After months of negotiations, the Gunners have pulled out of discussions with the Wales international regarding a new deal and the 27-year-old is therefore expected to leave in 2019 as his current deal expires at the end of the season.

According to The Mirror, this has led Emery to eye Argentina international Ever Banega, who earns €81,000-a-week (approximately £70,000-a-week) according to Silly Season, once more as he seeks to reunite with a player he managed at Sevilla.

A good call?

Having already hit 30, a move for an experienced player like Banega is further evidence of the change in Arsenal’s stance since Emery succeeded Arsene Wenger at the Emirates Stadium, and he could provide a boost to the midfield.

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However, Arsenal fans will hope that Emery sets his sights higher and more long-term than the 65-cap Argentina international as he is not the sort of signing that would issue a statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League – particularly when a player of Ramsey’s calibre is set to be lost.

A better option would surely be Paris Saint-Germain’s own contract rebel Adrien Rabiot, who has put a host of clubs across Europe on alert after reportedly turning down a renewal with the French champions for the third time.

If Arsenal could lure the 23-year-old, who worked with Emery at PSG, to the Emirates Stadium, then their hopes of returning to the pinnacle of English football would receive a huge boost.

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Aston Villa have suffered a poor run of form in recent weeks, winning just one of their last ten games across all competitions.

The poor sequence of results ultimately cost Steve Bruce his position as the club’s manager earlier this week and has left the promotion hopefuls in the hunt for a new boss, with the plan to secure an appointment during the international break.

Ahead of Bruce’s sacking this week, we asked fans whether they believe Brentford manager Dean Smith would be a decent replacement for the former Manchester United defender and the results were very tight.

A majority of 59% said that they would like to see Smith leave the Bees to take charge at Villa Park, with the remaining 41% seemingly holding out for a different option to fill their managerial void.

Smith has guided Brentford into the play-off spots this season but just two points separate the Bees from 15th-placed Bolton.

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